Intestinal parasites are 'old friends,' researchers argue(Canadian Institute for Advanced Research) Intestinal parasites such as tapeworms, hookworms and a protist called Blastocystis can be beneficial to human health, according to a new paper that argues we should rethink our views of organisms that live off the human body. To prove the point, paper co-author Julius Luke even ingested three developmental stages of a large species of tapeworm called Diphyllobothrium latum. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - July 23, 2014 Category: Global & Universal Source Type: news